Key Taliban commander surrenders in Afghanistan

"Famous Taliban commander in the southern provinces, Mullah Momin surprisingly came to the police department in Deh Rawad district late last night and handed over his weapon," the district police chief told Xinhua.

"Mullah Momin said that since the foreign forces have left Uruzgan province, there was no reason to fight against the government there," he added.

Australian forces, who had served in Uruzgan province, left the region around a month ago, leaving the security responsibility to the Afghan national security forces.

Mullah Momin, whose real name is Hamidullah, is from the neighbouring Kandahar province.

He had been fighting against the Afghan and the NATO-led forces in Kandahar and Uruzgan provinces over the past couple of years.